Expanding letter file



Jan; 1932. F. 1.. e. STRAUBEL 7 3 EXPANDING LETTER FILE Filed Sept. 11. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E i f d f'rdue/ Jan. 5, 1932. F. G. STRAUBEL 1,339,902

EXPANDING LETTER FILE Filed Sept. 11, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I /5 A 1 M fave/7601' Patented Jan. 5, 1932 uNirE S ATES FREDERICK L. G. STRAU'BEL, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN EXPANDING LETTER FILE Application filed September 11, 1930. Serial No; 481,122.

My invention relates to the class of letter files which willpermit the contents of the file to be expanded, so that any letters or other papers in the file can-be inspected without taking any part of the file contents out of the file. Arrangements for this purpose have heretofore been afforded in file. cabinets by equipping the cabinet drawers with forwardly tiltable fronts and rearwardly tiltable followers connected to each other for conjoint movement. However, the providing of such provisions on a slidable drawer, constructed separately from the cabinet itself, adds to the total cost of the cabinet and '15 the relative increase in cost-is proportionately rather high for a single deck file cabinet.

My presentinvention aims to provide a single deckfile which will afford the desired expanding of the contents without requiring either asliding drawer or a follower separate from the back of the file, which will per mit ready access to the file contents when the cover of the cabinet is swungout of its normal closure-position, and in which the opening and closing of the cover automatically will respectively expand and compact the file contents.

Moreover, my. invention aims to provide an expanding file of these characteristics which so can cheaply be constructed of sheet metal,

which will be rigid both in its closed and in its opened disposition, which will employ the back of the cabinet as atiltable follower, and in which simple provisions will afford the. operative connections wherebyan opening movement of the lid or cover of the file will tilt the front and back of the file away from each other.

Still further and also more detailed obtion, showing this with the lid or coverin its opened position, and with a portion of the tiltable file front broken away. I

Fig. 2 is a vertical and longitudinalsection through the, lower-portion of the same 1 file,taken.along-the line 2+2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section similar to Fig.

2, but taken through the complete letter file when this is close i Fig. 4 is an enlarged and fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 4-4 ofFig.3.

Fig. 5' is an enlarged and fragmentary vertical section, taken transversely'of the file along the line 5-5 of Fig.

In the illustrated embodiment, my expand ing letter file has a box-like hollow base including abottom l, a basetop 2, and front and rear base walls 3 and 4. The sides 5 and 6 of this hollow base extend upwardly beyond the base top 2 for a distance greater than the heightof the papers which are to be filed, and these ends respectively form the two upright and stationary sides of the file.

The front 7 and the back 8 of the'file are pivoted at their lowerends respectively to 7 the upper edge portions of the frontand the rear base walls '8 and 4, upon horizontal hinge axles 9, and the said front and rear are both extended above the base top 2 to the same height as the stationary file sidesl5 and 6. I

Stifiening webs 10 and'll extend rearwardly from the two side edges of the front 7, these webs being respectively adj acent to the inner faces of the sides 5 and 6 when the'file is closed as in Figs. 3 and 4, and the back 8 has similarly disposed but forwardly directed stifiening webs 12 and 13 respectively at its opposite side edges. ,To connect the front operatively with. the

back, I equip these two tiltable file parts adjacent to each side of the file with relatively overlapping wings and provide a suitable connect-ion betweenat least two o'f'these overlapping wings. As here: illustrated, the back 8 has twoquadrant shaped wings-'14 and .15 extending forwardly fromit and rigidly connected to it, as by welding these wings respectively to the webs I3 and 12. The front 7 is similarly equipped with wings 161 and-:17 195 which extend rearwardly' and. desirablyare welded respectivelyto the webs ll and 10.

Each of these "quadrant-shaped wings: is. of greater length than half of the distance be- 7 tween the front and the back'of the'filefso file is closed, and the overlapped wing 16 has a pin 19 extending into and slidable inthis slot. When the back 8 is swung rearwardly (or from the upright position of Fig. 3 to the tilted position of Figs. '1 and 2), the web 1 which is equipped with the slot 18 swings with it,oand the swinging movement raises the slot, thereby causing the lower edge of the slot to lift the pin 19, so as to rock the front 7 forwardly until the pin 19 engages the forward end. of the slot to limit the separational swinging movement of the file front and back.

Likewise, a swinging movement of the back from its tilted position of Fig. 2 towards an upright position will cause the up peredge of the slot 18 to press downward on the pin 19, thereby swinging the front also to its upright position, so that the front and the back always move conj ointly towards and away from their upright'positions. In practice I preferably provide such slot and pin provisions as connections between the oven lapping wings at each side of the file.

As a closure for the top of the filing space (which is laterally bounded by the four file wallsnamely the front 7, back 8, and the sides 5 and 6) I provide a cover, desirably in the form of an inverted rectangular box which includes upright walls 20 which have more widely spread lower end portions 30 spaced so as to depend outside the said four file-walls when the file is closed, and which cover also includes a cover top 21.

This cover has each of its side walls 20 A connected to the back member by a rear link 22 which extends obliquely forward upwardly when the file is closedas in Fig. 3, this link being desirably pivoted at its lower end to the adjacent web (12 or 18) of the back member. r

Each of the cover sides 20 A also is con- -nected to the adjacent file side (5 or 6) by a generally more forward link 23 which is longer than the adjacent rear link 22. This longer -link is desirably pivoted at its lower end tothe adjacent file side by a pivot pin 21 disposed higher than the pivot pi n 25 which con nects the lower end of the adjacent link 22 to one stiffening web on'the file back; and

thelong link'hasfits'upper endpivoted to a -cover side by a pivot pin 26 disposed considerably. further forward than the pivot pin 27 on which a rear link 22 is pivoted to the same cover side.

Owing to this disposition of the pivots and to the relative length of the links, a lifting of the cover by raising a handle 28 will lift the front portion of the cover more rapid ly than the rear portion, and the swinging movement of the links due to the lifting will move the cover bodily rearward during its raising. During this raising of the cover, the connection of each of the longer links 23 to the cover describes an arc 29 (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1), thus moving the front portion of the cover both upwardly and rearwardly. Meanwhile, the rigid spacing of the pivot pins 26 and 27 compels the upper ends of the rear links to move rearwardly to a corresponding extent, in doing which these rear links engage the back8 of the file and tilt this back rearwardly.

' This outward tilting of the back 8, through the slot and pin connection between the quadrant-shaped wings, simultaneously tilts the front 7 forwardly until the separating tilting movement is halted by the engagement of the pin 19 with the end of the adjacent slot 18, thereby disposing the file parts as shown in Fig. 1. With the parts proportioned as here illustrated, namely'so that the upper end of each forward link swings further rearward than its lower end when the file is being opened, gravity causes the cover to press the rear links 22 firmly against the back when the file is opened as in Fig. 1, and holds the cover in a position in which the user has ready access to the expanded file. I

With the parts proportioned as here illustrated, each rear link extends across the adjacent longer link when thefile is closed, this being permitted by an inward offsetting of the medial portion of the rearlink, as shown in 5. The overlapping portions of the two interlocked wings at either side of the file mustalso swing alongside each other, for which purpose the tip portion 16 A of the front wing in Figs. 3 and 4 is here shown as offset outwardly from the main portion 16, while the rear wing 14 at the same side of the file is flat. I I

Each of these wings (14 to 17 inclusive) also preferably has its lower edge radial of the pivot axis of the file wall to which it is attached, and disposed for seating on the base top 2 when the file is closed, so as to increase the rigidity of my file when closed.

In practice, the webs which extend rearwardly from the front and forwardlyfrom the back also prevent lower corner portions of the file contents from sliding'or projecting out of the file when this is opened.

However, while I have heretofore described my invention in an embodiment including numerous desirable details of construction and arrangement, I do not wish to be limited in these respects, since 'many ins signed for filing documents of ordinary letter size. 7

I claim as my invention: i

1. An expanding file including a base member; a front and a back respectively hingedly connected at their lower endsto spaced-portions of the base member; two upright sides 7 rigidly connected to the base member and normally cooperatin with the front and back to form a container' and means operatively connecting the front and back for causing a swinging of one thereof in one direction to swing the other thereof in the opposite direction, said means comprising a rearwardly directed wing fast on the front, a forwardly directed wing rigidly connected to the back and partly overlapping the aforesaid wing, and connections between the two wings whereby a movement of one wing moves the other wing in the opposite direction.

2. An expanding file including a base member; a front and a back respectively hingedly connected at their lower ends to spaced portions of the base member; two upright sides rigidly connected to the base member and normally cooperating with the front and back to form a container; and means operatively connecting the front and back for causing a swinging of one thereof in one direction to swing the other thereof in the opposite direction, said means comprising a rearwardly di rected wing rigidly connected to the front, a forwardly directed wing fast on the back and partly overlapping the aforesaid wing, and connections between the two wings whereby a movement of one wing moves the other wing in the opposite direction, and means associated with the said connections for limiting the separational movement of the two wings. a

3. An expanding file including a base memher; a front and a back respectively hingedly connected at their lowerends to spaced portions of the base member;two upright sides rigidly connected to the base member and normally cooperating with the front and back to form a container; and means operatively connecting the front and back for causing a swinging of one thereof in one direction to swing the other thereof in the opposite direction, said means comprising a rearwardly directed wing rigidly connected to the front, a forwardly directed wing fast on the back and partly overlapping the aforesaid wing, and

connections between the two wings whereby a movement of one wing moves the other wing in the opposite direction; the said connections comprising a slot formed 1n the rear wing and extending forwardly downward, and a pin fast on the forward wing and slidably engaged by the slot.

- 4. An expanding file including a base member; a front and a back respectively-hingedly connected at their lower ends to spaced por- 1 tions of the base member; two upright side's rigidly connected'to the base member and normally cooperating with the front and back to rected wing rigidly connected to the front, a forwardly directed, wing fast on the back an partly overlapping the aforesaid win and connections between the two wings whereby a movement of one wing moves the other wingin the opposite direction; the said connections comprising a slot formed in the rear wing and extending forwardl downward,

and a projection fast on the forward wing and slidably engaged by the slot,.the slot being of such length that an end thereof will engage the projection to limit the relative movement of the two wings in one direction,

5. An expanding file including abase member; 21 front and a back respectively hingedly connected at their lowerends to spaced portions of the base member; two uprightsides rigidly connected to the base-member and normally cooperating with the front and back to form a container; and meansoperatively connecting the front and back for causing a swinging of one thereof in one direction to swing the other thereof in the opposite direction, said means comprising a rearwardly directed wingrigidly connected to the front, a forwardly directed wing fasten the back and partly overlapping the aforesaid wing, and connections between the two wings whereby a movement of one wing moves the other wing in the opposite direction; each-'wing having its lower edge disposed for engaging the top of the base member when the said front and back are in uprightpositions.

6. An expanding file including a base; two

vstationary. sides; a normally upright front; a

normally upright back hinged at its lower end to the base; 'a cover normally supported by the two sides and overlying the space between the sides, front and back; and means connecting the cover to both sides and to the back, the said means being: arranged for simultaneouslytilting theback rearwardly when the forward portion of the cover is raised 7 An. expanding-file including a base member; a fron-t'member and a back member respectively hinged at their lower ends to spaced portions of the base member; two

upright sides rigidly" connected to the base member and normally cooperating with the front and back to form a container; means operatively connecting the front'member and both the back member and the two sides whereby a raising of the cover swings both the front member and the back member outwardly and swings the cover to a position in which the center of gravity of the cover is disposed rearwardly of the rear edges of the two sides.

8. An expanding file including a base member; a front member and a back member respectivly hingedly connected at their lower ends to the base member; two upright sides rigidly connected to the base member; a cover overlying the space bordered by the said front member, back member and sides when the front member and back member are also in upright positions; and two pairs of links connecting the cover respectively both with the back member and the said sides; the cover being of a cap-like formation including two cover sides to which the upper ends of all of the links are pivoted.

9. An expanding file comprising a stationary portion including two upright sides; a front, a back; hinges respectively connecting the lower end of the front and the lower end of the back to the stationary portion on horizontal axes transverse of the sides; means opera-tively interposed between the front and the back whereby a swinging movement of either of the latter two members about the hinge associated with it will swing the other member in the opposite direction; a cover normally supported by the two sides overlymemberin the opposite direction; the back having forwardly directed webs normally respectively adjacent to the inner faces of the two sides; a cover normally supported by the two sides andoverlying the space between the ing the space between the front, back and 7 sides; a pair of links respectively connecting the two sides with forward portions of the cover, and a second pair of links respectively connecting the back with more rearward portions of the cover; the links of the second pair being shorter than those of the first named air thereb causin a raisin of the cover to swing the back rearwardly and also tomove the cover rearwardly into a position in which the cover only partially overhangs the back.

i 10. An expanding file as per claim 9, including means for limiting the separational movement of the front and back the shorter links being disposed forengaging the back to limit their rearward swinging, thereby limiting the rearward swinging of the cover by'the two pairs of links.

11. An expanding file comprising a stationary portion including two upright sides; affront; a back; hinges respectively connecting the lower end of the front and the lower end of the back to the stationary portion on horizontal axes transverseof the sides means operatively interposed between the front and the back whereby a swinging movement of either of the latter two members about the hinge associated'with it "will swing the other 

